The Iguazú Falls

Iguazú... "big waters"
Waterfalls... a roar that breaks the air from miles away
Jungle... the sounds of wild animals and the backdrop of verdant leaves.

Extremely beautiful, an earthquake for the senses, a life-altering experience awaits you at the Iguazú Falls, in the north east of Argentina, where a triple frontier is shared with Brazil and Paraguay.

The waterfalls assault the visitor with their torrents, so grand and loud that we, mere mortals, are confronted with the smallness and brevity of our lives. Lush green, gigantic leaves and flowers, red earth, the eyes of animals watching us, a heat that pierces the body.

In a guidebook an expert guide from Iguazú asked himself why the waterfalls are not as appreciated in Argentina as Patagonia and why the snow and ice is considered to be more “elegant” than the tropical heat of the jungle. We can’t say if this is true, but we can assure visitors to our country that this prejudice is unfounded. If you can combine the ecstasy of a visit to the Glacier Perito Moreno with the euphoria of a walk towards the waterfall called the Devil’s Throat, you will be a privileged person. An experience not to be missed.

Describing the marvel

The Iguazú River is born in Brazil, in the mountain Serra do Mar, in Paraná. It flows gently down many kilometers of flat land, towards the southwest, before reaching the Paraná River, where its course changes dramatically. Small islands begin to create rapids and “white water” and the current gathers speed, causing the river to split off into smaller ones. But it soon reaches a gigantic drop off, which was caused by an geological fault hundreds of thousands years earlier. This precipice, added to the smaller rivers we described earlier, creates a giant system of waterfalls, with more than 270 falls arranged in a giant fan, each between 40 and 90 meters high.

Fact: when the falls were born almost 200 thousand years ago, the falls were located where the Paraná and Iguazú, where today you will find the union of the three frontiers. But due to the process of erosion, it has moved back 23 kilometers from its original point of origin. It is believed that the relocation will continue.

The largest fall is the Devil’s Throat (la Garganta del Diablo) located at the main channel of the river. The fall has its origin in Unión, which is located on the boarder of Brazil and Argentina, it is 80 meters tall and the spray created by the waterfall is visible from 7 kilometers away. Other important falls are the Alvar Núñez, the Two Sisters (Dos Hermanas) which has a natural pool 8 meters deep, the Bosetti and the Chico Alférez that break into two. Above all in the upper region, you will find the San Martín Fall, which constantly roars due to its double drop off of 70 meters.

The continuous cascade forms a special mist which when kissed by sunbeams gives birth to an infinite number of rainbows, and is one of the more common postcards of the region.

The waterfall system is more than 4 kilometers wide, which combined with its height and the volume of the water during the rainy season makes it one of the largest in the world. Its width is four times larger than the Niagara Falls, located in the United States.

A Little Bit of History

The waterfalls were discovered in 1541 by Adelantado Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, who came from Spain to take possession of the lands of Río de la Plata, after the death of Pedro de Mendoza.

Alvar Núñez was a different type of conqueror. It is enough to say that the book he wrote about his experiences is called Shipwrecked . . . although he set course for Río de la Plata he landed in Brazil and had to walk to Paraguay, where the spaniards had escaped from the Indians.

This march was ripped out of the script of a Hollywood action movie. Thousands of disasters, natural and man made, Indian wars and then alliances with tribes that helped him cross the jungle. And that is how in August of 1541 he discovered the waterfalls, “where the water hits the ground with such force that it can be heard for from faraway, and the mist is so tall that it could easily cover two ships.”

In the Guaraní language, still spoken by the Indians who inhabit the region (and it is the second official language of Paraguay) Iguazú means “big water.”

This was only the discovery by white men. Many years would pass until settlers populated the area.

The Tourist Center of Iguazú

Today, the region formed by Puerto Iguazú in Argentina, Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil and Ciudad del Este en Paraguay are referred to as “Polo Turístico Iguazú” (Tourist Center of Iguazú). Each city has different offers and resources, but the result is that this area is a true tourist center.

There are large hotels, ranging from luxury to basic, many ground transport options, tourist guides who speak various languages, night spots, discos, casinos, traditional music, etc.

Iguazú National Park

In order to preserve the sub-tropical rain forest that surrounds the waterfalls and the waterfalls themselves, two national parks were created: Iguazú National Park, in Argentina and Iguaçu Nacional Park in Brazil.

The Argentine park, which is in the north of Misiones Province, was created on the 9 th. of October in 1934 and counts 67,000 hectares. In 1984 it was declared an UNESCO World Heritage site.

RECOMENDATIONS FOR VISITING IGUAZÚ NATIONAL PARK

• Don’t enter with animals.
• Don’t touch or feed the wild animals.
• Don’t take soil, plants (or parts of them), animals (live or dead) or any element of the natural environment.
• Only throw garbage into the trash cans.
• Don’t break stalks or flowers.
• Use only marked paths.
• Respect that the paths are for one-way traffic.
• Remember that a lot of animals, especially the cats, are nocturnal animals.
• And as always, enjoy the natural beauty leaving behind only footprints, so that the next visitor can enjoy the same experience.

Iguaçu National Park, in Brazil

Today, the Iguaçu National Park in Brazil is going through a process of reforms. A new system of paths that will give a better view of the falls, and feature impressive panoramic views.

Many say that you “live” the falls on the Argentinean side and “see” the falls from Brazil, so both visits are a must indeed.

Walks and Activities

There are many options that you have at your disposal to travel within the park. There are foot paths, boats, the Train of the Falls, and it can even be explored in your own vehicle.

If you arrive in your own vehicle, drive carefully and remember that you are driving through a preserved area. Slow down your speed and enjoy the view. Respect the animals —more than 500 animals each year die from vehicle accidents—. Many of these animals are endemic, which means that they are only found in this habitat.

Whether you chose to experience the park by yourself or with a guide, we recommend that you visit the Visitor’s Center Yvyrá Retá or “country of the trees” in guaraní, which is located less than 50 meters from the entrance to the park. In this center you will find a lot of information that will help you to enjoy your visit even more. The falls aren’t the only attraction of the park, but the flora and fauna are stunning as well.

From this center you can board a train that takes you to the falls.

Weather Conditions

The park is hot and humid, with temperatures of 15ºC in the winter and 26ºC in the summer. There is an average of 2000 mm of rainfall per year. While the falls can be enjoyed year round, the best season to visit is in the spring (between September and December), because the rains are less and the heat isn’t as suffocating as the summer.

How to Arrive

The Iguazú International Airport relieves flights from the main cities of Argentina, with frequent daily flights from Buenos Aires, the capital of the country.

By bus, the most important companies that connect Buenos Aires to Iguazú and other cities are: Crucero del Norte, Expreso Singer S. A. Expreso Tigre Iguazú and Via Bariloche.

By car, it can be reached via Posadas, the provincial capital, by National Route 12. This same route, which borders the Paraná River , connects to Route 9, which is an access route to Buenos Aires. Another option, for those who are coming from Buenos Aires is to take National Route 14, which borders the Uruguay River, and later meets up with Route 12 via Provincial Route 40.

Distances from Puerto Iguazú, in kilometers:

Traditional Foods

This is not only the meeting point of three countries, but also a destination for large amounts of immigration from northern Europe (popularly called “the Russians”), and there is a large variety of food to enjoy. But the most typical plates are:

Mbeyú, a traditional food of the Guaraní Indians, a fried dough patty of mandioca with milk or water, salt and cheese.

The chipa, or Paraguayan cake, is made with starch, milk, cheese, lard, eggs and salt.

Paraguayan soup doesn’t actually resemble soup, it is a type of oven baked bread, made of white corn flour, onions and cheese.

The galeto are large cuts of meet roasted on a sword over a flame, and is popular on the Brazilian side of the border.

The rapadura is a desert made of sugar cane syrup.

And a good option for a hot day is tereré, which is iced mate.